Honored and Intended
by Nate Grey
Summary: "Honor and Intent" re-imagined, but with an anime-compliant start, and a focus on pairing rather than conflict. Or more simply: how Chocho becomes an Uzumaki.


Notes: I began working on "Honor and Intent" before the characters were truly fleshed out in the Boruto series... which is part of why I kept calling him "Bolt" instead. When you compare that story to the series itself, they don't mesh well at all. I don't want to rewrite it, as I see it as an example of how things could have ended up. Despite that, after watching the first couple of episodes of the Boruto anime, I got the urge to do a not-really-a-sequel that at least started off series-compliant.

Summary: "Honor and Intent" re-imagined, but with an anime-compliant start, and a focus on pairing rather than conflict. Or more simply: how Chocho becomes an Uzumaki.

* * *

 **Honored and Intended**

 **A Naruto Fanfic by**

 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

* * *

When she fell, Chocho was scared, but only of getting hurt badly.

She had broken a few bones in her hand while learning her clan's jutsu, but so had every other naturally-born Akimichi ninja. The amount of ice cream she'd gotten after each injury quickly made her forget any lingering pain.

Being knocked from a roof would be more serious, she knew.

Death never even crossed her mind, for one simple reason: Sarada would save her.

Sarada was Chocho's best friend for a reason: she was smart, dependable, and loyal. When Chocho had bad ideas, Sarada would go along with them, even if she had failed to talk Chocho out of them. When they got in trouble, Sarada never said, "I told you so." Sarada had always been there when Chocho needed her, and she was there today. She would save Chocho.

That wasn't how it happened, this time.

The first voice that called her name, the first hand that grabbed hers. They didn't belong to Sarada at all.

They instead belonged to the boy Chocho had thought of as a hotheaded idiot, who acted without thinking, always had to be the center of attention, and could never admit when he was wrong. This time, he had acted without thinking, to save her. And because he hadn't thought, he did nothing that was going to keep him from falling to serious injury as well. Fortunately, Inojin and Shikato were there to save them both.

Technically, it was a group effort, and there was no real reason to credit Boruto which much of anything. It was Shikato and Inohin who truly saved Chocho, and Boruto, for that matter.

But Boruto was the one who had foolishly endangered his own life, willing to share Chocho's fate, whatever it would have been. And he later apologized for putting her at risk. There was no doubt: he was an even bigger idiot than Chocho had first imagined. But from that day on, he was the kind of idiot that she liked.

* * *

"Hey, Boruto," Chocho said between bites. "Did you know? They say when you save someone's life, you're responsible for them."

Boruto froze, the BBQ-flavored chip an inch from his mouth. He had thought Chocho's sudden offer to share a snack was a little odd, but could not deny that food tasted better when shared with a buddy. It was why he so often dragged Shikato along on burger runs. But this was entirely different.

"What are you trying to say, exactly?" Boruto finally asked, now a little suspicious of Chocho's motives.

Chocho turned to him with a big grin, clapped her hands together, and bowed her head. "Please take good care of me!"

Boruto frowned. "Hey, wait a minute..."

Chocho seized his hand and began dragging him away. "So I thought we could check out this dango stand I saw the other day, then get some takoyaki, and I heard about this great ramen place, and on the way back we can get some sandwiches-"

"Aw, Chocho!" Boruto groaned, trying to break her iron grip. "I always get a stomach ache when I hang out with you!"

"You'll live," Chocho assured him. "I'm not letting you die on me yet." Under her breath, she added, "Someone's got to pay my tabs..."

* * *

Boruto walked into the kitchen one evening, only to find his mother laughing with-

"Karui-san?!" Boruto cried.

Karui stopped laughing and turned to him. "Oh, hey. Your mother and I were just swapping war stories about raising ninja babies."

Boruto twitched. He was less concerned about the admittedly embarrassing potential of that, and more concerned that Karui was Chocho's mother. Which likely meant...

"Where's Chocho?" he asked warily.

"Playing with Himawari."

Boruto shot his mother a look of betrayal. "Kaa-chan, how could you let this happen?!"

Hinata blinked innocently. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean. Chocho is a perfectly nice, lovely girl."

"She is not! She's CHOCHO!"

Karui actually laughed. "Oh, that's perfect! I'm going to tell her you said that!"

Boruto ran to Himawari's room and threw open the door, only to find Chocho and Himawarai playing the most aggressive game of pattycake he'd ever witnessed. The goal seemed to be to numb the other player's hands, and while Himawari was faster and more precise, Chocho's strikes had more power.

Himawari was the first to notice him. "Onii-chan, want to play with us?"

"Why are you in my house?!" Boruto demanded, glaring and pointing at Chocho.

Chocho blinked innocently. "That's a pretty rude thing to say to a friend."

"We aren't friends!" It wasn't true, but he would have said anything at that point.

Chocho smirked. "I meant, that's a pretty rude thing to say to your sister's new friend. We're having a playdate tomorrow, too."

"Chocho's the best!" Himawari declared, giving the older girl a big hug.

Boruto twitched as Chocho flashed a victory sign over Himawari's head. "This isn't over!" he shouted in frustration.

"You're right. It's only just beginning," Chocho promised with a smile.

* * *

Boruto was thrilled as he ran to the Hokage's office that morning. He could hardly believe his luck. An ANBU messenger had interrupted class to inform Boruto that he was being assigned an S-rank mission. He even announced it in front of everyone, effectively impressing the entire class. It was the coolest thing that had ever happened to Boruto, and he'd be milking the resulting fame for months.

Of course, if Boruto had stopped to think about it, he would have known better. And had he bothered to checked the calendar in the kitchen before leaving home, he would have smelled the scheme a mile away.

Instead, he burst into the Hokage's office, only to stare in horror at Chocho, who was grinning at him, and his father, who was doing his best not to laugh.

"Your S-rank mission is to be Chocho's escort, and ensure she has the happiest birthday possible," Naruto announced, stuffing a frog-shaped wallet filled to bursting into Boruto's pocket. "The mission is over either when you're out of money, or she says you're free to go, whichever comes first." He paused, then added, "I'd start with the more expensive diners, because I don't see the latter happening."

The entire day consisted of Chocho dragging Boruto to all of her favorite dining establishments. Although "favorites" implied there were some she did not like as much, but Boruto still felt they went to each and every one that he knew of. But since Chocho was aware she was working with a budget, she only ordered one item at each place, effectively extending the mission until it was dark outside.

The only good part was that Chocho ate all of her purchases on the spot, so Boruto didn't have to carry them all day. Really, the only heavy thing he had to deal with was a huge portion of smoked beef that Chocho and an Inuzukua chunin got into a bidding war over. They finally agreed to split the cost, with one condition: Chocho and Boruto had to help tow the meat to the clan, but were welcome to eat as much as they wanted until it was delivered. Upon learning it was Chocho's birthday, the Inuzuka offered to give her a puppy, but was turned down. Chocho liked puppies just fine, but felt any dog expecting to survive on her table scraps would starve.

Just as Naruto predicted, Boruto's mission came to an end when his wallet was emptied in an ice cream parlor. He and Chocho each emerged with a massive ice cream cone. Out of concern for his stomach's well-being, Boruto had avoided eating for most of the day, so he fully intended to enjoy himself.

"This was a really fun birthday," Chocho announced suddenly, sounding as if she truly meant it. "Thanks, Boruto."

Boruto felt odd accepting her gratitude. "You don't need to say that." In truth, he felt somewhat guilty. If Chocho had told him it was her birthday and asked him to treat her to a shopping trip, he would have said no. But because it was a mission, and such a high rank one, he had felt that he couldn't refuse. Yet even Boruto knew it would be a horrible idea to say that out loud.

"Well, I had a great time," Chocho said. She licked her vanilla cone, then giggled. "You know, you've got chocolate on your face."

Boruto frowned and started to lick his lips. But before he could, Chocho seized his chin and turned her his face toward her, and the next thing Boruto knew, her face was directly in front of his, and chocolate, at least of the variety that was smeared on his face, was the last thing on his mind.

It was well after midnight when Boruto finally got home. There was a dazed look in his eyes, and the messy remains of a melted chocolate ice cream cone in one hand. But there was not even a trace of chocolate on his face. When it came to food of any kind, Akimichi didn't do anything half way.

Boruto ignored all questions about why he was late or what had happened. He merely washed his hands, or rather, his mother washed them for him, and then he went straight to bed. Sleep did not come easily. And when it did come, Boruto's dreams were filled with visions of Chocho's face, and wonder at how he had ever been so blind.

* * *

There was no announcement, and no terribly obvious sign, to anyone that didn't pay close enough attention. But their friends were the first to notice that Boruto and Chocho were suddenly hanging out a lot more than they ever had before. More importantly, they were including others during such times less and less. The reason for this was a topic of some debate, until Sarada made things clear.

"Well, you're not supposed to invite friends on all of your dates, are you?"

After the shock faded, there was little point in denying the truth. If Chocho was going to tell anyone about her dates, it would be Sarada. And most likely the reason Boruto had not picked Shikato's brain about dating was because Shikato had never been on one, and was in no hurry to do so.

* * *

It wasn't funny. Or it shouldn't have been.

"Tell me again how you lost your arm," Chocho requested slowly.

Boruto grinned, reaching up to rub the back of his head with his remaining right arm. "We ran into a giant spider, and Mitsuki summoned a giant snake. Only I thought I could handle it alone, but I didn't exactly let him know that. So when I jumped in to take on the spider, I got in the snake's way, and it kinda... well, um..."

"Bit your arm off?" Chocho asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, the snake was great. It swerved to avoid me entirely. But because it did, the spider had a clear shot, spat out this acid, before I knew it, my arm was on the ground and I wasn't."

"And your team wasn't able to recover it?"

"We had it for a while, but the spider was gaining on us, Sarada figured it was hungry, and she couldn't fight and hold my arm at the same time, so..."

"She let it eat your arm?"

"Well, she was right. Once the spider had that, it left us alone."

"You don't seem too upset."

"My dumb dad says me and him will match now. Tsu-baa is already working on a new arm for me."

"You could have died!" Chocho snapped.

Boruto blinked. "Sorry?"

"That's all you have to say?! How am I ever going to marry you if you're dead, dummy?!"

He stared at her, stunned. "Edo Tensei...?"

She hit him. Not hard enough to knock him through the wall, but hard enough to break the hospital bed.

"Ah!" Boruto cried, wincing. "Chocho, take it easy! I just lost an arm here!"

"How's that my fault?!"

"What? I never said-"

She grabbed him, hauled him off the bed, and glared directly into his eyes. "You listen to me, Uzumaki Boruto. You aren't dying until I've gotten at least three kids out of you. And that isn't happening until we're married. So your job is to live to see all of that. And if you ever slack off on it again, I will break your other arm and your legs, then tie you to my back and drag you everywhere I go. And I will keep breaking your limbs until you learn the lesson."

"Why can't you just say you love me, like a normal girl?!"

Chocho shook him hard. "I do love you, you idiot! Now do what I say or I'll break your limbs!" To prove her point, she grabbed his arm and began to squeeze hard.

"Okay, okay!" Boruto shouted. "I get it! I was stupid and I'm sorry!"

"What do you mean, 'was stupid', when you're sitting here minus one arm, still sounding pretty stupid to me?!" Chocho demanded.

Boruto winced. "Just tell me what I need to say so you don't hit me again!"

Chocho glared at him. "You don't say anything. You just sit there and let me take care of you, like you should have done in the first place."

"We're not even on the same team," Boruto pointed out reasonably.

"We are now, and I'm the boss."

"Actually," said an annoyed voice from the doorway, "this is my hospital, so I'm the boss."

Boruto perked up. "Great! Tsu-baa, use your monster hag strength and get Chocho off of me!"

Tsunade stared at him blankly, shared a meaningful look with Chocho, then cracked her knuckles ominously. "Hold him down, Chocho. I'll show which bones break the easiest."

"Yes, Godaime-sama," Chocho replied eagerly.

"Aw, where's the love?!" Boruto wailed.

* * *

"The trick to being an Uzumaki in-law, is to act like you're a full Uzumaki."

Chocho frowned at the mirror and shot a glance down her arm at Hanabi, who was carefully but quickly trying to repair a tiny rip in the white sleeve. It seemed to be going well. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Never hesitate. Never apologize. And never call before you visit, that's really important."

"So basically, be rude?" Chocho asked.

"Not rude," Hanabi corrected. "Stubborn. But in a lovable way."

"Like you?"

"Exactly!"

Chocho shook her head. "That wasn't a compliment."

Hanabi smirked. "An Uzumaki would take it as one. I'm done, let me check the other sleeve."

Chocho extended her other arm for inspection. "Thanks for this, by the way."

Hanabi waved her off. "It's fine. Hinata would have done it, if she wasn't so busy with the flower arrangements."

"I know, she apologized a hundred times. But I didn't expect you to volunteer."

"Why? Did you think I didn't like you or something?"

"You are a little overprotective of Boruto, but no. Actually, I wasn't sure you could sew. At least, I've never seen or heard anything that suggested you could."

Hanabi had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. "Just because I don't advertise it..."

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine," Hanabi grumbled. "Well, clearly I can and am. Make a note of it."

Chocho nodded. "I'll tell anyone you want me to."

"No!" Hanabi laughed. "Well, I mean, thanks, but no. There's a reason I don't advertise it. I don't mind doing this for close family and friends, but-"

"And that includes me?" Chocho asked neutrally.

Hanabi paused. "Hmm. I guess it does. You're marrying my favorite nephew."

"He's your only nephew."

"Which makes him the favorite. Anyway, in-laws need to stick together. Someone's got to show you how it's done, otherwise you might do something silly, like ask permission to visit, and then where would you be? Not visiting, that's for sure. Never give them a chance to refuse. You copy their key and be waiting in their living room when they get home."

"Are you teaching me to be a bad in-law, or a good burglar?"

"You'd be surprised how much crossover there is between the two."

* * *

Naruto and Hinata never once introduced Chocho as their daughter-in-law. Hinata, at least, understood there might be some confusion, and tended to call Chocho her son's wife in polite company. And yet Chocho never once felt that Hinata treated her much differently than she did Himawari.

But Naruto had always called Chocho his second daughter, which had caused Karui several headaches that she always ended up laughing about later on. Possibly because she enjoyed the same brand of sake that Tsunade did, and Naruto brought a few bottles every time he visited, and sent even more as gifts when he did not.

It took a while for Chocho to realize Hanabi had been right, in her own way. Uzumaki didn't believe in in-laws. They believed in family.

* * *

It was not the most important meeting Naruto had on his schedule that day, but it was still a high priority one, and it began first thing in the morning. Or would have, if not for the conference room door suddenly opening.

"Excuse me, VIP business, nothing to see here," Chocho said as she breezed into the room. At least, she breezed as much as a nine-months pregnant kunoichi born an Akimichi could breeze, without using a shunshin. Which was still a brand of movement that involved far more grace and confidence than any other woman in that condition, barging in on any Hokage, had any right to possess.

Hinata had at least managed a half-hearted apology when she did it years before.

And the speed with which Naruto vanished from his seat and appeared at Chocho's side would have convinced any remaining doubters that he truly was the son of the Yondaime Hokage.

"Chocho, you shouldn't be walking around unattended like this!" Naruto protested. Or would have, except it came out as more of a whine. He had been around enough pregnant women to know that orders and protests didn't fly so well. Begging worked wonders, sometimes.

"Relax, Naru-papa. We're fine." Chocho wrapped her arms around her belly, as if giving herself and her baby a hug. "But since you are so worried and clearly can't concentrate on work while we're around..."

"I'll get someone to escort-" Naruto began to say.

"You should totally ditch work and come hang out with us all day!" Chocho concluded with a big grin.

Naruto blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Come on! We're bored and you need to entertain us!"

"I do?" Naruto asked doubtfully.

"Yes, you do, jii-chan!" she insisted, poking him in the shoulder. "You need to get used to spoiling a grandkid, and this is a great time to practice!"

Naruto frowned. It was true he had more than a few hairs that were decidedly not blond anymore, and there was no denying that he and Hinata were old enough, and much to his horror, Himawari was dating frequently now. But none of that meant he was ready to be called a grandfather. Which sort of proved Chocho's point: he wasn't ready and did need the practice.

Also, Chocho had already looped her arm through his. There was no easy escape from that, he knew from experience.

"Shika oji-chan, you can keep the village from collapsing while I borrow Naru-papa for a bit, right?" Chocho had asked before Naruto realized it.

Shikamaru waved lazily from his seat. "If it means I don't have to drag him home tonight, sure."

Chocho blew him a kiss. "So! Let's go, Naru-papa!" When Naruto didn't move, she happily began dragging him to the door. It was less that she was strong enough and more that Naruto wasn't really resisting.

"Wait, wait!" Naruto said. "You still really aren't in any condition for-"

"Trust me, I got it covered." Chocho tugged him over to a nearby window and pointed down.

There was a large carriage on the street below. Perhaps it was of the horse-drawn variety, but in this particular case, there was a pair of enormous deer hooked to the front. Shikamaru's willingness to take care of things in Naruto's absence suddenly made much more sense... as did the growing suspicion that Chocho's visit was not quite as spontaneous as Naruto had first thought.

Still, she was carrying his first grandchild, and Naruto did want to spend time with them. More than he had lately, anyway. So he followed Chocho down to the carriage, got in without complaint, and didn't ask where they were going.

Really, he didn't have to ask, since the answer seemed to be pretty much every restaurant or food stand that caught Chocho's eye. And as a pregnant woman with Akimichi blood, she had an extremely good eye for food.

Coincidentally, each time that Naruto thought about saying maybe he should get back to work, the baby would suddenly kick, and Naruto, eager to feel it, would forget what he was saying. Oddly, the baby always seemed to stop kicking immediately before he put his hand on Chocho's belly. Chocho always sighed and patted his hand. "Maybe you'll catch it next time, Naru-papa," she would say, smiling reassuringly.

He didn't. This went on all day, by which point Naruto was sure that Chocho was lying to him about the timing of the baby's kicks. But he didn't care. He was having fun. Far more fun than he would have had in meetings all day, that was certain. And Hinata was always telling him that he needed to take a vacation, and failing that, at least several small breaks throughout the day.

Come to think of it, the most recent time Hinata had said this, Chocho had been right beside her, drinking some tea while Himawari massaged her shoulders. That... was probably something he should have kept in mind. And might have, if he weren't so focused on work.

Naruto thought briefly of taking Chocho home as it began to get dark, but she insisted on saying goodnight to Hinata first... which meant she would end up sleeping in their guest room again. It wasn't a problem so much as it was a source of amusement: Chocho had a room at Naruto's house, Choji's house, Sarada's house, and of course her own house with Boruto. So no matter where she ended up, she would be more than welcome, and sleep comfortably on a familiar bed.

Naruto chuckled to himself as they reached his front door. He almost felt like he'd been on a date all day. And as he took another long look at Chocho, he decided Hinata would surely forgive him. Especially since this had no doubt been her idea all along.

"Thanks for hanging out with us, Naru-papa," Chocho said. "We had so much fun!"

"So did I, Chocho," Naruto replied. "You should drag me out of the office more often."

She nodded. "Then it's a date!" Abruptly, she gasped, grabbed his hand, and placed it on her belly.

Naruto's eyes widened as he knelt down and finally felt the baby kick against his hand. "Wow," he murmured.

"That was lucky," Chocho sighed. "Do you know how hard it is not to react when he's kicking, and then pretend to react when he isn't?"

Naruto slowly lifted his eyes to take in her smirk. "It's a boy? No, wait, before that-!"

"Goodnight, Naru-papa!" As he started to rise, Chocho threw her arm around his neck, tugged him close, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

Naruto frowned and cleared his throat. "That's Naru-jiji, thank you very much."

Chocho just giggled.

* * *

"So, while we're all here, I thought we could talk about that horrible couch that Boruto is in love with."

Hinata and Karui traded amused looks as they carefully fluffed the pillows in silence.

"I mean, it's old and he's had it forever, and he sleeps on it when he gets home late but doesn't want to wake me by slipping into bed, but doesn't that idiot realize I can't sleep through the night when he's not beside-?"

"Chocho," Hinata interrupted, patting her arm gently. "You're here to deliver your baby. You remember that part, right?"

"Sure. Anyway, I hate this couch, and-"

"And you don't want to discuss the baby at all?" Karui added.

Chocho rolled her eyes. "What's to discuss? He's here, I'm here, and soon he'll be out here with us. You two have done this before, and you're here with me, so I'm not worried."

"Of course," Hinata instantly agreed. "Nothing to worry about at all."

"Although if you were worried," Karui was quick to chime in, "that would be fine. Totally normal. Even with both your mamas here, it's fine to be a little worried."

"I feel like you're both trying to tell me something without actually saying it," Chocho noted. "But I'm not really in the mood for deep thinking right now, so can you just tell me whatever it is you're not saying?"

"Having a baby can be scary," Hinata said. "So if you're not scared, that's fine. But if you're only avoiding the subject because you're scared and don't want us to see, you don't have to do that."

Chocho blinked slowly. "Maybe I'm not trying to hide anything. Maybe I'm avoiding talking about it because if I focus on it, then I really will be scared. But I'm not right now, and I really don't want to be."

"How about if I tell you what helped me when I was pregnant with Boruto?" Hinata offered. "If you're scared, it might help. And if you're not, then it's still something to pass the time."

"Yeah, okay," Chocho murmured.

"I'm sure you know this, but I never got the chance to meet Naruto's mother. I've seen a few pictures, and I've talked to people who knew her. And Naruto has told me everything he can recall of the one conversation he had with her. But for some time, I worried because I hadn't gotten the approval of his parents. Not that I thought they would reject me or anything like that. But there is a certain amount of comfort, knowing for sure that your husband's parents approve of you. You can understand that, can't you, Chocho?"

"I understand that they'd have to be crazy and blind not to love you, Hina-mama," Chocho replied firmly.

Hinata smiled and patted Chocho's arm fondly. "That's about what Naruto said, although he insisted that of course they would adore me. And it wasn't so much that I didn't believe him. He was more or less obligated to say something like that. It was just, I never got the chance to speak to his parents or earn their blessing. It bothered me. And then Naruto told me something I hadn't considered. He told me that no matter how they felt about me, they would have accepted me because of my feelings for him, and his for me. And he also gave me something that I will always treasure."

Hinata produced a small picture from her pocket and handed it to Chocho, who stared at it. Clearly, it had been taken just after Hinata had given birth to Boruto. Hinata was in a hospital bed, looking exhausted but happy, and she was holding a red-faced, blond baby that had to be Boruto. And, for no reason that Chocho could even begin to guess at, Uzumaki Kushina had her arms around both mother and baby, and was grinning hugely.

"Uh... I am going to assume that Naru-papa did not kill someone, and then use Edo Tensei to bring his mother back to life, just so she could take this picture with you."

Hinata shook her head. "Don't be silly, Chocho."

"And that he also didn't have a dead body in storage to do that."

"No."

"And that he doesn't know a cute guy willing to put on a red wig and a dress-"

"It's Naruto in henge," Hinata finally blurted out.

Chocho blinked. "Well. That makes much more sense. And it's just like Naru-papa, to do something sweet and thoughtful like that."

Hinata and Karui exchanged amused glances. Naruto was sweet, and arguably always had been, but one thing he could not be accused of always having been was thoughtful. Certainly he cared a great deal for his family, friends, and sometimes even people he'd met only once and for a very brief time. But as far as knowing what would make them happy, and taking appropriate actions to bring about that result? That was something Hinata had helped him with many times. Karui, for one, knew better than most how thoughtless Naruto could be while trying to do something for someone precious to him. That Chocho thought otherwise meant only two things: that she hadn't taken Boruto's numerous complaints about Naruto to heart, and that Hinata's advice to Naruto had at least paid off on one person.

"Anyway, what made it so special was something Naruto told me while he was henged," Hinata continued. "I truly believe it was something Kushina would have said to me when Boruto was born. At least, I hope so. And I'm going to share it with you now, Chocho."

Chocho nodded. "Okay, lay it on me."

Hinata leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Chocho, and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. "Thank you. For making my son happier than he knew he could be. For being the type of woman he could fall in love with. For being the kind of daughter I wish I could have given birth to. For being the type of mother that I know will give me healthy and happy grandkids."

"Hina-mama," Chocho murmured, wiping her eyes. "Thank-"

"Oh, you guys!" Karui wailed, throwing her arms around both women and hugging them tightly.

"Still pregnant over here," Chocho wheezed, causing Karui to quickly let go.

* * *

Sarada had accepted early on that she was going to be an only child.

For one thing, her father had been missing in action for the first chunk of her life.

For another, even when he was home, he barely even wanted to touch Sakura in front of Sarada, so baby-making did not seem too likely even if Sarada was elsewhere.

And in any case, Sarada felt it was safer for all involved that she not have any siblings. If she was either going to be tortured, or torture someone else, she would rather the other person be outside of the family.

None of that changed that day that Chocho first put her son in Sarada's arms, but something did. Sarada decided then and there that one day, she would be a mother. And she would never leave her child's side until they got old enough to tell her that she was seriously bugging them.

The baby's name was entirely Naruto's fault. Chocho had wanted to uphold her father's family's naming tradition, and Boruto had no problem with that. But before either of them could start listing suggestions, Naruto blurted out the first name that came to mind. It wasn't a bad name, really. He said that several times, and everyone believed he meant it.

Chocho liked the name immediately, and even when Boruto was told of the origin (he had never really been a student of history), he didn't care either way. The baby seemed to like it, or at least responded positively to it.

So that was how a very brown, red-haired baby boy became known as Uzumaki Chomei.

Sarada thought the parents had gone a bit overboard in displaying their acceptance of the name. The bug-print bedsheets, clothing, and diaper bag, she could deal with. But she got comments anytime she took Chomei out in the larvae-shaped cosplay outfit-slash-onesie. And though she considered herself a very loving aunt, Sarada had strictly forbidden the presence of Chomei's favorite toy in her house. And seeing how it was an enormous dung beetle plushie with detachable dung balls, she rarely ever got much argument... except from the entire Aburame clan, who provided free babysitting when Sarada was unavailable, in the hopes that Chomei's individuality (or rather, his love of bugs) would not be stifled. Frankly, Sarada felt they should be more concerned about what Chomei, being part Akimichi, might do with the first real bug he got his hands on.

* * *

 **Endnotes:**

I think Boruto would use something even more insulting to refer to Tsuande, particularly concerning her age. But one point that has been driven home over and over again is that Boruto takes shortcuts. So something like "Tsunade hiibaba" would take too long to say, but "Tsu-baa" expresses a similar sentiment (Tsunade is old) while actually giving her a break on how old she is... but only because Boruto is too lazy to be more accurate. It also implies that Naruto's kids are familiar with Tsunade, which I assume would be true but have no confirmation of yet. They don't seem overly familiar with Iruka, either.

I like the idea of a brown kid named Chomei. Although in this case the red hair comes more from Karui than any Uzumaki heritage. But it's still nice when things work out.


End file.
